A retrospective application has been made for a seasonal mobile home at the Charity Farm fishing lake.

The planning request also asks for a hardcore track for caravans and parking and the construction of a small fish stocking lake.

The ‘Litton Lakes’ farm diversification project includes a 1.5 acre coarse fishing lake with bankside camping and caravanning with a mobile home intended for seasonal staff, currently used as a fishing hut. The operation, for the lake, parking and fisherman’s hut, was first granted planning permission in 2006.

Application papers says that the business has grown and now requires on site accommodation for seasonal staff to maintain the site and monitor fish health as well as collect fees and provide security. The stocking lake has been dug near the entrance to the site to allow the operation to breed its own stock for the main lake.

A letter to the council, from a planning agent, says: “If the business did not provide the facilities described in this proposal, it would fail to attract the necessary visitors to be profitable or in order to compete with other similar businesses that do provide these facilities at their fisheries. The result of which would be a decline in the visitor numbers to the Dorchester and wider West Dorset area, having a subsequent negative effect on the rural economy. The business aims to provide a popular and successful fishing business and the proposed development will allow its continued growth.”

Comments on the proposal can be made until July 20 with a decision expected to be made by a planning officer.